The invention relates to an electric toothbrush with a handle which is to be manually guided and with a brush member which has a brush head with several, separately rotating bristle holders which, in the brush head, are connected to gearing for driving them, and in which a component comprising the brush member is connected to the toothbrush so as to be easily exchangeable by the user. EP-O 254 397 relates to such a toothbrush.
As electric toothbrushes of this type are generally used by several people and as the bristles are subject to wear, it is necessary for them to be arranged on a component which can be easily exchanged by the user. According to the above-mentioned EP-O 254 397, the brush member is fixed detachably as a whole on the handle. In conventional electric toothbrushes, in which the brush member merely has to perform an oscillating and/or a to-and-fro movement, the brush member is a relatively simple component, so that exchange thereof involves low costs. With the toothbrush according to EP-O 254 397, however, a total of ten gear wheels driving the bristle holders are arranged in the brush head of the brush member and are driven by a toothed rack which is axially movable in the brush member. The toothed rack is provided with a coupling which, when the bristle holder is placed on the handle, couples to a connecting rod provided therein. Owing to these components which are required in the brush member and form gearing, the brush member is relatively expensive overall, exchange thereof entailing considerable costs.